


Salt Water

by Izzyface



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: AU, Alternative Universe - No Island, F/M, Family, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Major Illness, Mothers & daughters, different history
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-13 22:01:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11769264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzyface/pseuds/Izzyface
Summary: Felicity is happy in Gotham. She's working for Wayne Enterprises and dating Ed Raymond. And then a phone call about her mother changes her entire life. Suddenly she finds her life entwined with the Queen's and she seems to have caught the attention of Oliver Queen, who is nothing like she remembers from growing up.





	1. 1.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this for awhile now, and have a good bit of the plot done - and a couple of chapters written. So if there's interest, then I'll keep working on it. If not, then I'll push it to the side in favor of something else. 
> 
> The title of this comes from two quotes that I've had in mind while writing: 
> 
> "I remember one day sitting at the pool and suddenly the tears were streaming down my cheeks. Why was I so unhappy? I had success. I had security. But it wasn't enough. I was exploding inside." -Ingrid Bergman
> 
> "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." -Isak Dinesan

**Salt Water - 01**

Felicity Smoak had a feeling. Something was wrong, she was sure of it. She’d checked all of the usual suspects and items, but they all seemed in order. Work was fantastic, she’d remembered to return the lease documents for her condo (not so much _last_ year, but that was another story), and she was finally (FINALLY!) in a promising relationship with a great guy.

Still, she _knew_ something was wrong. But what was it?

“Frak!” she shouted. Was that the time? She was going to be late! Felicity rushed to her closet for shoes. The pair she wanted (nude, silver stiletto heel) were not immediately visible. Glancing down at her cell, she didn't have time to look for them. She grabbed her black Louboutins and slipped them on, all the while tapping out a text to Bruce.

Within three minutes Felicity had her keys, purse, and tablet and she was out the door. It was luck that she hadn't parked her MINI Cooper in the residential garage when she got home hours ago. The cherry red car was waiting for her downstairs, two tickets for her expired meter on the window. She grabbed them and tossed everything into the passenger seat. She had seven minutes to make a fifteen minute drive into the city on a Friday night. If she was lucky she’d arrive as they were finishing appetizers.

Focusing on traffic and the upcoming meeting allowed Felicity to push her previous thoughts from her mind. When she arrived at the Gotham Grill she tossed her keys at the valet and ran for the maitre’d. “Wayne?”

“Are you Miss Smoak?”

“Yes.” She forced several calming breaths. “I’m very late for an important business dinner.”

The man smiled at her kindly. “Mr. Wayne insisted on waiting for you. They're having drinks at the bar.”

“Oh.” Felicity adjusted her purse and straightened her dress. Her cell phone rang in her hand, but she silenced it without checking to see who the caller was. “I'm ready then, I guess.”

As they started toward the bar, her phone rang again. She glanced down to see Donna Smoak’s face smiling up at her. Felicity hesitated, but she sent the call to voicemail and promised herself she’d call as soon as the dinner was finished.

When she made eye contact with Bruce, he said something to the rest of the group. Felicity watched the four men stand and turn to greet her. Bruce kissed her cheek warmly, as did Lucius Fox. “Gentleman, this is Felicity Smoak. She wrote the code for the software we’re here to discuss. She is the person in charge of our Cyber Security division at Wayne Enterprises.”

Felicity felt the eyes of the two men on her and smiled. She knew she was young, but she also knew she was the best. Taking a deep breath, she stuck her hand out, “Felicity Smoa—”

Her telephone ringing cut her off. When she saw it was her mother, Felicity knew she had to answer. “I'm sorry. It appears my mother is having a crisis. One moment.” Felicity turned around and took a few steps away from the men before she accepted the call. “Mom, it’s a _really_ bad time. I can't help you setup your modem right now.”

“Miss Smoak, this is Moira Queen.”

“I—what? Mrs. Queen? Where's my mom?”

Moira sighed. “Miss Smoak, Felicity, your mother… I'm afr–she has been admitted to Star City General. She collapsed at the Manor this afternoon and Raisa called 911. Walter and I have been given very little information, as we are not family. I told the doctor I would call you.”

“Okay.” Her mind was going a million miles per minute. Donna hadn't mentioned anything the last time they’d spoken, but when was that? “I'll be there as soon as I can arrange a flight.”

“Do you want me to send the corporate jet for you? It would be no trouble.”

Felicity shook her head, even if the other woman couldn't see her. “I’ll call when I get the details worked out. Thank you, Mrs. Queen.” She didn't wait for a response and hung up.

Bruce. She needed Bruce.

She found their table easily from the bar, and Felicity forced a smile on her face. “Sorry about that, but I've had a bit of a situation come up.” Her eyes shifted to Bruce’s. “Can we talk in private?”

As she waited for the billionaire to excuse himself, Felicity thought about what she wanted to say. They were friendly, but she wasn't sure if they were friends. He’d recruited her directly from MIT, and definitely respected her intelligence, but was there a limit?

“Felicity?”

She'd been lost in her own head. “I have to go.” She took the tablet from her purse and handed it to him. “Everything you need for tonight is on this, and once I get to Star City, maybe I can work remotely, but I can't be here right now.”

“Felicity, who was on the phone?”

“My mom collapsed at work today. That was her employer, telling me she has been admitted to the hospital.” Felicity blinked away tears. “I'm sorry, I really can't talk about this. I need to be booking a flight and packing.”

“Hey, hey.” Bruce laid his hand on her arm. “I'm going to have my driver take you to your apartment, then he’ll take you to my private airstrip. My pilot will be there, waiting to fly you to Star City, okay?”

She shook her head. “I can't ask you to do this.”

“You're not asking, I'm offering. Now go. Lucius and I can handle this dinner. I'll make excuses for you.”

————

In less than two hours, Felicity was headed west towards Star City. Since she graduated high school seven years prior, she'd been back only once for Robert Queen’s funeral. She'd known then that there wasn't a life for her in Star City. Despite a generous offer from Walter Steele to come work at Queen Consolidated, Felicity had picked Gotham and Wayne Enterprises.

In Star City, she was never going to be more than the maid’s daughter. Felicity had vague memories of life before Donna went to work for the Queen’s, but what figured prominently in her childhood was her father’s trial and losing everything. After Noah Kuttler went to prison and their savings and assets were seized to repay the investors he’d fooled, Felicity and her mother were left with nothing. Before marrying Noah, Donna had worked as a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas, but those skills were wasted in Star City. If not for Robert Queen they would have never made it.

Still, things were different. The two Queen children and Tommy Merlyn grew up getting anything they wanted. Donna continued to struggle to keep Felicity in clothes that fit and buy necessary school supplies. If not for Felicity’s own job, MIT would never have been a possibility.

Felicity couldn't go back without thinking of the horrible crush she had on Tommy Merlyn most of her childhood. By the time her mother took the job with the family he was living with them. His own parents died in a mugging gone wrong near his mother’s free clinic in the Glades. Robert and Moira Queen took guardianship immediately. It reminded Felicity a bit of Bruce, but Tommy was not serious all the time. He also put someone else in charge of Merlyn Global and opened a nightclub with Oliver Queen. Bruce would never shrug off his parents legacy like that.

Her crush on Tommy had been immediate and consuming. When she was 10, he was 15 and well aware of the power he had over girls. More than that, he didn't treat her like _the help,_ unlike Oliver. Tommy was kind to everyone, while Oliver was kind to his baby sister and Raisa. Everyone else he merely tolerated.

It took a year in Boston to get over Tommy. None of the boys at MIT knew her mother was a maid or that her father was in prison. They only cared about how well she could code, and it was better than any of them. When she flew back to Star City for Robert Queen’s funeral, Felicity was pleased that her old crush on Tommy seemed to be gone. He, Oliver, and Laurel were still attached at the hip, involved in their strange three way relationship. All Felicity felt was relief as she boarded the plane back to Boston and Cooper.

“Miss Smoak, we will be landing in Star City in less than half an hour.”

The pilot’s announcement pulled her from her memories. She hadn't thought about that time in her life in a long time. Cooper wasn't a pleasant memory, as he turned out to be more like Noah than she realized. He'd died in a prison riot two years before, and Felicity still felt guilty. It was her code that let him break into the Department of Education and attempt to erase those student loans. Even though she'd begged him not to.

Once they landed and Felicity gathered her bag, she readied herself to deplane. The pilot was waiting for her at the door. “Ma’am, Mr. Wayne instructed me to stay the night in Star City, in case you need the jet again in the next 24 hours.” He held out a card to her. “Here is my cell number and the number to the hangar, should you need to get in touch.”

“Thank you.” Felicity was touched by Bruce’s thoughtfulness and made a mental note to thank him when she called to check in.

The pilot followed her down the stairs. “Will you need a ride anywhere?”

“I was just going to call—” Felicity looked up and saw a cardboard sign with _Smoaky_ written in black ink. “It appears I have a ride.” She shifted things around so she could reach her right hand out to his. “Thank you, again.”

The pilot smiled at her and turned back towards the plane. “Tommy Merlyn. They must've been scraping the bottom of the barrel when they sent you.”

He held his hand up to his chest like he was wounded. “That hurts, Felicity. I volunteered to come get you.” Tommy reached for her carry on. “This everything?”

“Yeah.” She shouldered her laptop bag and purse. “Thanks, Tommy.”

“Not a big deal. Plus, you got hot! I'm always up for playing chauffeur for hot girls.” He smiled at her and wiggled his eyebrows. “Where to?”

“Star City General,” she answered. “I need to find out what happened. I'll worry about a hotel later. Once I know something I can call Bruce and get everything sorted.”

Tommy shifted the Audi into gear. “Your wish is my command.” As the car pulled out of the hangar, he looked at his passenger. “So you call him Bruce?”

————

The entire Queen family, minus Oliver, was waiting outside of Donna’s door. Her panic had increased upon learning her mother was in the ICU, something not previously mentioned. She rushed forward and greeted Moira Queen, who surprised her by wrapping her in a hug. “Do you know anything new?”

The older blonde shook her head. “I informed the nurse you would be here soon, and she said she’d let the doctor know. We can only wait.”

Felicity squeezed her eyes shut, willing away the sudden urge to cry. “Can I see her?”

“Of course.” Walter Steele stepped forward and pressed a hand to her shoulder. “I’ll escort you. Is there anything Moira can do while she’s waiting?”

“I―” Felicity’s voice broke, so she paused. “I need a hotel room. Somewhere close.”

“Of course,” the older woman agreed. She looked to her daughter. “Thea and I will arrange everything.” Moira pressed a hand to Felicity’s cheek and nodded. “It’s going to be okay.”

Walter stepped into the hospital room with her, but waited beside the door. Felicity slowly approached the bed where Donna lay, sleeping. There was a chair, so she sat and took her mother’s hand. “Is there anything I can get you, Miss Smoak?”

“Call me Felicity, Mr. Steele,” she replied. “And no. I’d like to be alone with her, though.”

She heard the quiet _snick_ of the door as it closed and Felicity exhaled slowly. She took in all of the machines hooked up to her mother. The things you would expect in a hospital―blood pressure, heart monitors, and pulse. But there were wires coming out of Donna Smoak’s head that made Felicity pause. Was all of this related to her brain?

When the older woman moved, Felicity quietly asked, “Mom?”

“Felicity? Is that you?” Her eyes remained closed, but her fingers tightened around her daughters. “They shouldn’t have called you, my love.”

“Of course they should have,” Felicity admonished. “There’s nowhere else I would be. What happened, Mom?”

Donna shook her head. “Can you get me some water?”

When Felicity found the pitcher, it was empty. “I’m going to have a nurse fill this with ice, okay? I’ll be right back.” As she was exiting the room, she nearly bowled over Thea Queen. “Sorry!”

“The doctor wants to speak with you.”

“Oh, okay.” The blonde glanced down at the pitcher. “Could you get her some ice water? The nurse should be able to help.”

Thea smiled at her. “Yeah, I got it.” She took the pitcher and Felicity turned towards the crowd. Tommy had left, but Moira and Walter were talking quietly to a man wearing blue scrubs. She rubbed her hands against her dress and approached them.

“Hi.”

Moira placed her hand on her back and pulled her forward. “Alan, this is Donna’s daughter Felicity. She just flew in from Gotham. Felicity this is Dr. Alan Montgomery. He’s a neuro-oncologist.”

 _Neuro-oncologist_. But that meant… he was… her mom had… “Nice to meet you.” Felicity stuck her hand out to shake his.

“Miss Smoak, I’ve examined your mother. She’s had a CT, MRI, and PET scan. I’m sorry to tell you that she has a glioblastoma that is pressing against her optic nerve. It has also entwined itself with her internal carotid artery, making it very dangerous to surgical excise. We can attempt radiation therapy to shrink the tumor—”

“How bad?” Felicity asked. She was aware that both Moira and Walter were holding her up now, but she was trying to process what she was hearing.

“It’s a Grade IV tumor. Given it’s placement and severity, I would estimate she has no more than four to six months to live.”

 _I would estimate she has no more than four to six months to live_.

_I would estimate she has no more than four to six months to live._

“And that’s with the radiation?” she asked. “Are you sure surgery is not an option?”

He directed her to a nearby chair. “Miss Smoak, I don’t know of a doctor in the world could get clean margins if they attempted to resect this tumor.”

“Of course we’ll want a second opinion, Alan,” Moira spoke up. “You know someone?”

“Yes. I’ll contact Dr. Wong in Central City and ask him to come up.”

“What happens until then?” Felicity asked.

“We make her comfortable. Control her pain, and find the right medications that work to make her quality of life as comfortable as can be. _Talk_ to your mother and see what she wants, Miss Smoak. We’ll keep her in the hospital for a few more days as we find the right medications. I would recommend you hire someone to help out, in the meantime. You won’t be able to do this alone, Miss Smoak.”

She nodded in understanding. “Can I see her?”

“Yes, but briefly. She needs her rest.”

Felicity stood and walked back to her mother’s hospital room. Thea was standing next to her bed, talking quietly. The youngest Queen had always been different from the rest. She was kind and open-hearted. When she glanced back and saw Felicity, she dropped Donna’s hand and stepped away. Felicity could only guess what her face said, as Thea wrapped her in a hug. “It’ll be okay. Even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.”

“Thanks.” She resisted the urge to cry. “Can you give me a minute?”

When Thea stepped out, Felicity approached her mother’s bed. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, Mommy.”

“You haven’t called me that since you were nine,” Donna answered.

“I talked with the doctor.”

The older woman exhaled. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

Felicity nodded, even though she knew her mother couldn’t see her. “We can talk about it tomorrow. You should rest.”

“Will you stay until I fall asleep?” her mother requested.

“Of course.” Felicity retook her seat and tightened her grip on Donna’s hand. She listened as her breathing evened out. When Donna’s hand fell open, the blonde knew she was asleep. Felicity stood carefully and loosened her hand. She studied her mother, memorizing her features. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

When she rejoined the others in the hallway, she was surprised to find Oliver Queen there too. He looked much the same as always, even though he was no longer wearing his hair floppy like before. If Felicity wasn’t dead on her feet, she might have noticed how handsome he looked. “She’s asleep.”

Everyone nodded and Felicity looked to Moira. “Did you have any luck finding me a hotel?”

The older woman glanced at her son. “We thought―I thought, you might be more comfortable staying with one of us instead of a hotel. Oliver’s penthouse is not far from here, he has a guest bedroom that’s all made up, and he agreed.”

Felicity swung her eyes to the Queen heir. “You did?”

He nodded. “If you don’t care.”

At this point she didn’t care where she landed, she just needed something to eat, a shower, and to sleep. In that order. “I need my bags from Tommy.”

“He dropped them off already,” Oliver told her. He gave her a brief smile. “I don’t know how much choice you were going to be given.”

Felicity narrowed her eyes at him. “This is just for tonight. Tomorrow I’m staying in a hotel.”

He raised his hands in acceptance. “Fine with me.”

The blonde looked at the rest of the Queen family. “Thank you, so much. I don’t know what I would have done… what we would’ve done without you.”

Moira stepped forward and hugged her. “I’ll start the interviews tomorrow, dear. And work on turning the green room into something suitable for your mother. I’m assuming you’ll be staying, too?”

“Wait, what?” Felicity had planned to stay in Star City, but she assumed she’d just rent something for the both of them. They couldn’t very well stay in her mother’s one bedroom utility together. “I was going to take care of that.”

“Nonsense,” Moira insisted. “Raisa and I will handle it. And the interviews for a nurse, as well. Do you want someone full-time, live-in, or someone who is only there during the day?”

“Mom,” Oliver interrupted. “I think you’re overwhelming her with information right now. I’m going to take her home and then we can all meet for lunch tomorrow to sort everything out, okay?”

Felicity knew the Queen matriarch wanted to say more, but she didn’t. She took the hint from her son and accepted that the topic was closed for tomorrow. Felicity smiled at Oliver in gratefulness. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” he answered. “I’m parked in the deck.”

She quickly said goodnight to everyone, giving them each a hug. Felicity knew she wouldn’t have made it through the day without each of them. “Thank you all.”

“You’re family, Miss Smoak,” Walter told her. “This is what you do for family.”

Felicity followed down the hall after Oliver, who led her to the elevator bank. As the two of them stepped in, she looked at him. “Is there a Big Belly around here anywhere?”


	2. 2.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity attempts to get her feet under her in Star City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was in awe of the feedback I received for this story, so of course I wrote more. I'm a few chapters ahead of myself and right now the plan is to post every Wednesday - as long as I stay ahead. Thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a kudo or reply, I think I replied back to everyone. 
> 
> I feel like this chapter is a lot of... stuff? But important stuff. The next few chapters are really emotional for Felicity, as her world is tilting on its side. Again, thank you for reading!

* * *

**Salt Water - 02**

Felicity was pulled from a deep sleep way too early the next morning. Oliver was standing over her, a ringing phone in his hand. “Make it stop.”

“It's yours.” He shoved the phone at her. “He's been calling for half an hour now.”

The blonde pretended to not watch him walk out, his black boxer briefs clinging to his butt and thighs. He _definitely_ hadn't looked like that the last time she was in Star City. The phone in her hand started ringing again, and Felicity looked down. “Frak.”

She took a deep breath and answered. “Hello?”

“Baby, I'm outside the door, come let me in.”

“I'm not home, Ed.” Felicity closed her eyes and waited. “I took a last minute flight to Star City last night.”

“Why? What happened?”

“Family emergency. Listen, I'm going to be here for awhile. It's my mom.”

“Oh.” Ed exhaled softly. “Is there anything I can do? I can be on the next flight—”

“No,” she cut him off. “She's still in the hospital and I'm staying with a family friend. And you have work, Ed. You can't leave that because of me.”

“I'm a journalist, baby. I can write anywhere.”

“You cover the stock exchange,” Felicity reminded him. “That's not here.” She waited for his response, but when one didn't come she continued. “Listen, I'll call you once we get her settled back at the Manor. Maybe you can fly out next weekend, okay?”

“Okay,” he agreed. “I miss you.”

“I'll talk to you soon, okay? Bye.”

“Bye, baby.”

Felicity laid there and listened to Oliver moving around in the other room. She pressed a button on her phone and saw that it wasn't even six yet. There was no chance she was going back to sleep, though. She tossed the blankets back and got out of bed. Oliver was standing in the kitchen, drinking something green out of a glass. “Morning.”

He lifted his glass to her. “Your boyfriend?”

“Yeah.” Felicity looked past him. “Is that coffee?”

Once she fixed herself a cup and had her first few swallows, Felicity felt herself begin to wake up. “In his defense, it's three hours later in Gotham.”

“You didn't tell him before you left?”

She shook her head.

“Hmmm.”

“What? I forgot.”

“Nothing.” Oliver finished the last of his breakfast smoothie. “I'm going to hit the gym. I’ll probably be late tonight.”

“I'm going to find a hotel.”

“If you change your mind,” he continued, “I left a spare key and the elevator code on the bar. My cell number is there too, in case you need me for something.”

Felicity finished her coffee. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“I've always been nice—”

“You haven't,” she cut him off. “When we were younger you tolerated me. Tommy was the nice one. I don't know if you've ever spoken two sentences together to me before last night.”

“I grew up.” Oliver looked around, clearly uncomfortable. “I know a little bit about what you're about to go through and it's not easy. If you need a friend…”

Felicity nodded and refilled her coffee. “You should get to the gym. I need to call my boss before I head over to the hospital.”

“Sure.” Oliver turned away from her. “Oh hey, I left the number for my driver for you to use. I can take care of myself until you get everything sorted.”

“Thanks, Oliver.”

She took her coffee and returned to the bedroom, calling Bruce along the way. He answered after the second ring. “Hey, it’s me.”

“What’d you find out?” he queried.

Felicity exhaled slowly. She hoped this would be the only time she had to go through this. “It’s bad. My mom has a brain tumor. The neuro-oncologist I spoke with last night said it was inoperable and that we can only make her comfortable.”

“But you're getting a second opinion, right?”

“Yeah. The doctor—I only remember his first name right now said he’d call someone he knew in Central City to come examine her.” The blonde reached up and swiped her eyes. “But I saw her last night, Bruce. Something is very wrong. I don't think she could see me.”

“What else did the doctor recommend?”

“They're keeping her at Star City General until they can get her medicines stabilized. In the meantime, I'm going to try to find a live-in nurse who won't drain my savings.”

“Don't worry about money right now, Felicity. Whatever you or your mother need just let me know.”

“I need a leave of absence,” she told him immediately. Felicity opted to ignore the rest of his statement and its possible implications. “The doctor gave her six months or less, and I need to be here for them.”

“Get me the paperwork and I'll take care of it. Anything else?”

“Right now, no. Moira is taking care of a lot of it. She wants to help, so I'm letting her.”

“Moira Queen?” Bruce asked.

“Yes, do you know the Queens?” Felicity didn't want to explain her connection to them if she could avoid it.

“I knew Robert through business and I've had some dealings with Walter Steele. I've met the son socially. What's his name? Oscar? Alvin?”

“Oliver,” the blonde supplied.

“How do you know them?”

Felicity shrugged. “Star City isn't as big as one might think.” She thought about saying more, but didn't want to. “Listen, I should go. I need to shower and eat before I head back to the hospital.”

“You'll keep me updated?” he pressed. “And you'll tell me if you need _anything_.”

“Yes. Thanks, Bruce.”

As soon as the phone clicked off, Felicity dropped it. She fell backwards and groaned. So much to do and so little time.

Visiting hours started at 8, which gave her more than enough time to get through her morning routine. Felicity picked up her empty cup and phone and went back into the kitchen.

First, more coffee. Then, she would call Oliver’s driver and arrange a ride _for today only_.   

————

There wasn’t a crowd when Felicity arrived at the hospital that morning. She was glad, as the conversation she needed to have with her mother wasn’t one for an audience. Mr. Diggle, who insisted she call him Digg, offered to accompany her upstairs, but she’d declined. He’d then assured her he was at her disposal all day and she only needed to call his cell phone if she needed anything. Digg then went through a list of what that meant (a ride, coffee, lunch, a friendly ear, etc.). As she climbed out of the Bentley, she smiled back at him and told him she’d see him later. Where Oliver had found such a nice guy to drive him around, she had no idea.

Donna was awake when Felicity entered, sitting up, drinking coffee. “Hello?” she called. Her eyes were opened, but Felicity knew from her vacant expression that she couldn’t see anything.

“It’s me, Mom.”

“Felicity?” the older woman’s face widened into a smile. “I was worried I’d hallucinated you last night because of all the medicine they have me on.”

“No, I’m here.” Felicity dropped her purse on the floor and placed her tablet on the nightstand. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Hungry.” She lifted the coffee cup up to her mouth. “The nurse explained that I can’t have anything that’s not ‘clear’ until they’re sure I won’t be having any surgical procedures today.”

“Did she say anything else?” Felicity questioned. “Has the doctor been in?”

“No.” Her mother reached for her hand and Felicity met her halfway. Donna wrapped her fingers around her daughter’s. “What did he tell you last night?”

“That you’re…” Felicity couldn’t bring herself to say the words. “You’re not well. The prognosis doesn’t look good.”

Donna nodded. “Some fancy word for a brain tumor, right? A glioblastia?”

“A glioblastoma,” Felicity corrected. “You were out of it when I got here last night, loopy on meds, and Mrs. Queen made it seem like they didn’t know anything―” She stopped herself. “You already knew.”

The older woman looked away, even if she couldn’t see the hurt on Felicity’s face.

“How long?”

“I started having problems with my vision about four months ago, so I went to see an eye doctor. After the exam, he referred me to a neurologist, who did an MRI. She consulted with a neurosurgeon and they both felt the tumor would be impossible to remove. I was offered radiation to shrink it, but even then with the location it was unlikely they would attempt surgery. I didn’t want to spend my last few months sick, with everyone knowing that I was dying. I didn’t want anyone to treat me differently.”

“How long did they give you?” Felicity questioned. “When you saw them four months ago, how long did they say you had left?”

“No more than a year,” Donna confessed.

“And you—” the younger woman bit her lip, not wanting to say something she might regret. “Were you going to tell me?”

“Yes.” Her mother turned back towards her. “I didn’t intend to keep it a secret this long. But things got so busy, and I was doing so _well_ , and I thought maybe the doctors were wrong. I didn’t expect what happened yesterday to happen.”

“You have a brain tumor, Mom.” Felicity pulled her hand away and stood. She really wanted to leave, but she knew it was impossible. Besides, leaving now would only hurt Donna’s feelings. “You can’t keep stuff like this from me.”

“I know,” Donna agreed. “I’m sorry.”

Felicity turned back towards the bed. “We’re going to make a plan and you’re going to stick to it, okay? I’m in this for the long haul with you, but no more keeping secrets.”

“What about work and your life in Gotham?”

“I’m _here_ , exactly where I need to be.” Felicity retook her chair and her mother’s hand. “I’m not leaving you, okay? I’ll be there until the end, but I have to know there wasn’t anything else we could have done.”

“What does that mean?”

Her daughter sighed. “We listen to them when they present your options. You don’t immediately rule chemo or radiation out because it might make you sick. I’ve already asked for a second opinion, and a doctor for Central City should be coming up. I’ll call Caitlin and see if I can find out anything about him. You take your medicine. You won’t fuss when I hire a nurse. And, I imagine you’re going to have to get used to the Queen’s hovering over you some.”

“What do you mean?”

“The whole family was at the hospital when I got here last night. Tommy met me at the airport and brought me here. Mrs. Queen was beside herself with worry, and Thea sat with you some. Even Oliver showed up for a bit.”

“Tommy and Oliver?” Donna asked. “But you’d just gotten off a plane? What were you wearing? Don’t tell me your hair was in a ponytail and you were wearing glasses.”

She couldn’t help herself, Felicity laughed. “That’s so not the point, Mom. If you must know, I was wearing a dress and heels. I got the call during a business dinner.”

“With that handsome boss of yours?” her mother asked. “No wonder you got over Tommy Merlyn as soon as you moved to Gotham.”

“Bruce has a long-term girlfriend, Mom.” It was a conversation they’d had more than once. “Besides, he’s more than ten years older than me. I’m pretty sure he sees me as an annoying younger sister.”

“A girlfriend is not a wife,” Donna told her. It was something she’d said countless times over the years. “Speaking of, guess who got engaged?”

“Who?”

“Tommy Merlyn and Laurel Lance.”

“So he got the girl, huh.” Felicity smiled. “Good for him.”

“That means Oliver is still available,” her mother reminded her. “He’s the Chief of Operations at Queen Consolidated now. When Mr. Steele steps down, he’ll be the youngest CEO in company history.”

“Oliver Queen barely acknowledges me. Like always, and I don’t see that changing. Besides, they still have tabloids in Gotham. He’s definitely not hurting for willing partners.” 

Donna waved his hand. “None that he brings home for Sunday brunch, my love. That’s when I know it’s serious. He’s only ever brought two women home for Sunday brunch.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Helena Bertinelli whose family married her off to some young mafioso several years ago. And Laurel, who I think he loved in the only way he knew how, but is now marrying his best friend.”

“Is this what you and Raisa do all day? Analyze the love lives of Oliver and Tommy?”

“Thea, too, now that she’s old enough. But she’s fallen in with a boy from the Glades. Roy Something. Thinks she loves him. Has cheekbones you could cut glass on.

Felicity laughed. They spent much of the next hour gossiping and catching up, until the nurse came to give Donna a shot and she fell asleep. Felicity was able to get some coding done on her tablet then. She stayed at the hospital with her mother until dinner time, when Thea and Tommy showed up to relieve her. They’d already called Diggle and asked him to come pick her up, so Felicity couldn’t make anymore excuses to stay. With a kiss to her forehead, she promised her mother she’d see her the next day.

Given the circumstances, it’d been a good day.

————

On her way back to Oliver’s, Felicity worked up the nerve to call him. She’d asked Digg to stop at a local grocery store so she could get a pizza and some ice cream. Before she went inside, she made herself dial Oliver’s number and press send.

“Hello?”

“It’s Felicity,” she blurted out. “Hey.”

“Hey. Is something wrong?”

“No. I’m with Digg at the grocery store. I thought I’d make a frozen pizza for dinner, and pick up some ice cream. Do you have a preference?” Felicity gnawed on her lip as she waited. “Or do you have plans already?”

“I’m just about finished at QC, actually. Pizza sounds great. Get whatever you want.”

“Do you like red wine?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I thought I might have a glass, but I didn’t want to drink by myself—”

“Get a bottle,” he cut her off. “I’ll be home in less than an hour.”

“Great, okay. See you.” She clicked the phone off and glanced at Digg who was studying her in the rearview mirror. “What?”

He shook his head. “Nothing, Felicity. C’mon, I’ll walk inside with you.”

Inside the store she grabbed a three-meat pizza and a spinach and tomato pizza (Oliver had been drinking that green stuff that morning), as well as two cartons of ice cream (mint chip for her and a chocolate/vanilla split for him), and a $20 bottle of Merlot. It was nothing special, but it was a way to say thank you. Tomorrow she was absolutely moving into a hotel.

When they got back to the car, Felicity slid into the passenger seat beside Digg. “So, you’re married?”

“Yep. Five years in October.”

“Any kids?”

“One. A three year old girl. Sara.”

“What’s your wife do?”

“She’s a civilian contractor for the military.”

“Ah.”

“What’s with the third degree?” he asked.

“Trying to figure out how a guy like you ends up working for Oliver Queen, is all.”

“You could just ask,” Digg told her. “But it’s not a long story. After his father died, Oliver made some… risky choices. Mrs. Queen hired me to watch his back and keep him out of trouble. About eight months after the funeral, he hit bottom and I was there to help him pull himself up again. Eventually we became friends.”  He glanced over at her. “What’s your story?”

“My mom has worked for them since I was seven. I think they feel some kind of… twisted obligation to her, now that she’s sick.”

“And your history with Oliver?”

Felicity shrugged. “Don’t have one. We knew _of_ each other growing up, but mostly I just stayed out of his way. He put up with me. I was a weird kid and all I cared about was building computers and figuring out how stuff works. Oliver’s five years older, and he wasn’t remotely interested in any of that. So yeah, no history.”

He pulled the car up in front of the building. “If you say so. Are you going to need help up, or can you manage it?”

“I think I got it.” She slung her purse strap across her body and gathered the two grocery bags. “Thanks for your help today.”

“I’ll be back in the morning at 7:50, okay? You won’t need to call.”

She thought about protesting, but knew it wasn’t worth it. “I’ll see you then.” Felicity climbed out of the car and shut the door behind her. She was aware of Digg’s eyes on her as she walked to the building, and the doorman held the door open for her. “Thanks.”

Once she got upstairs, Felicity read the directions on the pizza boxes twice. She carefully preset the oven to 400℉, then put both cartons of ice cream in the freezer, and opened the bottle of wine. She poured herself a half glass and took a generous sip. Felicity carried the glass to her bedroom and changed out of her clothes into pajama bottoms covered with tiaras and a plain gray t-shirt.

When she re-entered the living area, she wasn’t surprised to find Oliver standing there. “Hey.”

He reached up to loosen his tie and remove his jacket. “Hey yourself.”

“How was your day?”

“Long,” he answered. Oliver glanced towards the kitchen as the oven bell chimed. “Dinner ready?”

The blonde shook her head. “Just finished preheating. I need to put them in.”

“Great.” He started towards the stairs. “I’m going to shower before we eat then. I’ll be back in ten.”

Felicity busied herself in the kitchen as the pizzas cooked, checking on them multiple times. The box recommended 12 minutes for one pizza, but she was cooking two so she knew it would take a little longer. After 16 minutes, the cheese on both pizzas was bubbling and the crust turning golden brown, so she removed them from the oven. As she did, Oliver returned to the living area wearing green and blue plaid pants and a Star City Rockets t-shirt. “Perfect timing.”

He helped her pull the two pizzas from the oven and found a cutter. Oliver also retrieved two plates while Felicity got the rest of what they needed. Each of them served themselves, and carried the food to the living room to eat. Felicity also brought the bottle of wine.

They ate in silence.

As they finished, Felicity could feel his eyes on her. It was a feeling she’d become accustomed to when they were younger. “What?”

“How’s Donna?”

She reached forward and exchanged her plate for a full wine glass. “She…” The blonde hesitated. “I think she’s scared.”

“How are you?” He gave her time to think about her answer when he went to get another slice of pizza from the kitchen. “You don’t have to tell me, I just want you to have someone to talk to.”

“Thank you.” Felicity sipped her wine. “I’m scared, too. It turns out she already knew about the tumor and she didn’t tell anyone.”

Oliver’s eyes widened, but otherwise he didn’t say anything. “How could she keep that from me? I mean… that’s huge, and she just didn’t tell me.”

“Did she say why?” he asked softly.

“After she saw the first neurologist and surgeon, who told her it was inoperable, she decided she wanted to things to be normal for as long as possible. Her words were that she didn’t want anyone to treat her like she was sick, which I can understand.” Felicity sighed. Her thoughts were still all jumbled and she didn’t know her own feelings yet. “I feel like she’s just accepted what’s happening to her, and instead of trying to fight…” she trailed off, unsure how to finish her thought.

“Can I make an observation?”

The blonde nodded.

“I think it’s unfair to assume she’s not fighting. When you and your mother moved into the carriage house, I saw a lot of similarities between your mother and mine. Both of them had husbands who disappointed them at multiple points, and both of them learned how important it was to carry on. When everything happened with your father… Donna did what she had to do. I don’t know many other women in our social class who would have gone from using our gold-plated toilets on Monday to cleaning them that same Friday.

“My point, and I do have one, is that your mother has had to fight for a long time. And she did for you. But anyone with any sense could see that you’re a success and maybe Donna knows that you’ll be okay without her.” Oliver lifted his eyes to meet hers. “I hope I didn’t offend you.”

“No, you didn’t.” She drained her wine glass. “Thank you, for that. It wasn’t something I’d considered before.” Felicity reached up to stifle a yawn. “I think I’m going to crawl in bed with my laptop and watch some Netflix until I fall asleep.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He stood and began to gather his plate and their glasses. “Oh, my mother wanted me to mention to you that she wants you to join us for lunch tomorrow. Walter, Tommy, and I have all cleared our schedules. Raisa will sit with your mother while you’re gone. Diggle will take care of getting you there and back.”

“I like Digg. He seems like good people,” she observed. “And I think lunch will be fine. I’m assuming we’ll be ironing out the details of when Mom gets out of the hospital?”

“I would assume,” he agreed. “And yes, Digg is good people. His wife is great, too. Maybe you’ll have a chance to meet her while you’re here.”

Felicity nodded. “Well, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”


	3. 3.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity is beginning to face some of her new realities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there is a chance (very large at this point) that I might not have a chapter by next Wednesday. I'm a teacher by trade and today when I went to pull this chapter to post was the first time I've had to sit down with fic since I posted last week. There's getting ready for school & a foster puppy situation at my house (side note - if any of you are in the central NC area and -- or say like 4 hours driving distance -- and find yourself interested in some beagle mix puppies, please comment!)... so I'm hoping to get something together by next week. If not, then I'll get it together ASAP. :) 
> 
> Also, I did the medical research in this chapter. It's as accurate as possible. But I'll note that I'm NOT a medical doctor//neurologist//brain surgeon. (See above: teacher!)

* * *

**Salt Water -  03**

Diggle arrived the next morning promptly at 7:50. Felicity greeted him with a smile and slid into the passenger side of the car. “Morning.”

“You seem happier,” he noted.

“Do I?”

“Yup.” Diggle eased the Bentley onto the freeway towards the hospital. “Fun night?”

She knew what he was implying and shook her head. “Nope. Just got some sleep and I’ve had a lot of coffee this morning.” Felicity glanced at the passing scenery. “Besides, what you’re suggesting? That would never happen.”

“Why’s that?”

Felicity shrugged. “Lots of reasons. The big one is that I have someone waiting for me in Gotham, and I’m so not that girl. Second, I’ve known Oliver most of my life and he... doesn’t _see_ me. Besides, I’m not here for that.”

“Hold on,” Diggle interjected. “What do you mean he doesn’t ‘see’ you? Explain.”

Her face colored with a blush. “When I met Oliver, I was 7 and he was 12. Thea was 2. Because of what happened with my dad, Mr. and Mrs. Queen offered us the carriage house as part of Mom’s salary. So I saw a lot of him. I used to go to the big house right after school and do my homework while Mom was working, and Oliver never talked to me. Tommy would at least say hello.

“Oliver was respectful towards my mother, because his parents wouldn’t’ve tolerated if he wasn’t. But he respected-slash-loved Raisa. There was a definite difference. He adored Thea, and as they both grew older he always made sure to spend time with her and make her feel special. If you had Oliver’s attention, you felt like a billionaire, but if not… he would just look right through you. The Queen’s gave a dinner in my honor, the night before I left for MIT. Oliver and Tommy were supposed to be there. Tommy was, dressed and on time. Oliver showed up an hour late, smelling of vodka, with a girl who was dressed like a prostitute hanging off of him. And he _laughed_ when he was reminded what night it was. That’s when I realized I never mattered to him at all, not even as the daughter of the live-in maid.”

“Yeah, I’m familiar with that version of Oliver. He’s not a nice guy. So then what happened?”

“Tommy helped him up to his room, Moira called the girl a cab, and Mom and I went home. I didn’t see any of the rest of them before I left the next day.” She looked around and realized they were in the parking deck at the hospital. “I didn’t come home for three years after that. Until Mr. Queen died. And I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about Oliver while I was gone.”

“Like I said yesterday, he was in a bad place after his father’s death. Maybe he’ll tell you about it.” He reached for his door. “Do you mind if I come up and say hello to your mother?”

“Sure, come on.” Felicity opened her own door and climbed out. “You should have asked earlier.”

“It doesn’t seem like there has been a good time to ask.”

The two of them rode the elevator to the fifth floor where the ICU was located. Donna’s door was open and Dr. Montgomery was walking out as they were coming in. “Ms. Smoak, I was hoping to catch you today.” He glanced at her companion. “Do you have a moment to talk?”

She looked at Digg. “Will you tell Mom I’ll be just a second?” When he agreed, Felicity led the doctor over to a bench. “What’s up, Doc?” She immediately reached up to cover her mouth. “I’m sorry, I promised myself I wouldn’t say that.”

The doctor chuckled. “You’d be amazed at the number of times I’ve heard that, Ms. Smoak.”

“Please, call me Felicity.”

“Okay, Felicity, I wanted to update you on your mother’s progress. I was able to speak to Dr. Charlie Wong in Central City yesterday, and he is on his way now to review Donna’s chart and then complete an exam. If you’re available at 3 this afternoon, we can all sit down and discuss where we go from there.”

“Sounds good,” she agreed. “I know that surgery has likely been ruled out, but what about radiation? I did some reading last night about IMRT. Granted, this is not my area of speciality, but I think it’s probably something I could get Mom to try. She’s pretty adamant that she does not want chemotherapy, at least not in the traditional way. What other medications or therapies are available to her?”

The doctor smiled. “You’ve done your research, Ms. Smoak. I’m impressed.”

“I went to MIT, sir. I don’t like problems that my brain can’t solve.”

He laughed. “I’ll be sure to bring these things up with Dr. Wong and we’ll have an array of options to talk about this afternoon. I’m to understand that cost is not a worry?”

“What? Of course—did Bruce Wayne contact you?”

“No. Moira explained that she and Walter would be covering what the insurance company doesn’t. Including experimental drugs and procedures, if necessary.” Someone down the hall called his name and Dr. Montgomery stood. “I’ll see you this afternoon, Felicity.”

She sat there, stunned, while the doctor walked away. The Queen’s were… but why? Felicity stayed in that same spot until Diggle stuck his head out of Donna’s room. “Hey, everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she told him. “Just lost in thought.”

“I need to get over to QC.” He glanced down at his phone. “Oliver has a couple of things he needs me to do. Also, he wants you to know that he’ll be here at 1 to pick you up for lunch.”

Felicity reached up and rubbed the space between her eyes. “I really have to get my own car.” She sighed and stood. “Thanks for picking me up this morning.”

“No problem.” He reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “You going to be okay?”

“Mmmm, yeah.” She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. “Thanks again. I’ll see you later.”

Digg let her go and watched her walk into the hospital room. He quickly typed out that he was on his way and started toward the elevator.

Felicity found her mother propped against three pillows, and what looked like an expensive duvet thrown over her bed. Frank Sinatra was crooning from an iPod on the nightstand. “Someone brought you some gifts.”

Donna smiled. “Thea is a sweet girl. She and Roy dropped by last night with a comforter from the Manor and an iPod loaded with my favorites. Roy showed me how to turn on the shuffle.”

“That was nice,” Felicity commented. “How are you today?”

“I’m good.” Donna lifted her arm to show off the IV. “I had a terrible headache last night, so they’re giving me the good stuff. Plus anti-nausea medicine, so I’ve had a little more of an appetite today. Dr. Montgomery said another doctor was coming up to see me later?”

Her daughter nodded, but then remembered the other woman couldn’t see her. “Yes. Dr. Wong from Central City. I asked Caitlin about him and she says that he’s great and that he’s the neurologist she refers her patients to more often than not. Moira suggested we get a second opinion, and he was who Dr. Montgomery suggested.”

“I see.” Donna smiled. “How is Caitlin? I can’t remember the last time you mentioned her.”

“She’s good. She and Ronnie got engaged at Christmas. I thought I told you that?”

“Maybe you did, sweetheart, I don’t remember.” The older woman reached out for Felicity’s hand. “C’mon here, Lissy.”

“You know I hate it when you call me that.” She wrapped her fingers around her mother’s. “I’m here, Mom.”

“You used to love that name,” her mother replied. “Caitlin and Ronnie are engaged. Barry and Iris are married. What about you, my love. Is there anyone special in your life?”

Felicity had known this question was coming. Every time she talked with her mother, the topic of her love life came up. “Mom—”

“Don’t ‘Mom’ me, Felicity Megan. I’m sick and I know that my days are limited, and I want to know that you’re going to be alright.”

“You know I don’t need a man to be alright, Mom. You taught me that.” Still, Felicity felt herself blinking away tears. “But, if it will make you feel better, yes I’m seeing someone.”

“Ahhh!” The noise could only be described as a squeal. “Tell me _everything!_ ”

“His name is Ed Raymond. He’s a reporter for the Gotham City Times.”

“A reporter? What smart babies you’ll have!”

“ _Mom_ ,” her daughter admonished. “We’ve been seeing each other about five months now. It’s… nice.”

“Nice?” Donna questioned. “What do you mean ‘nice’?”

Felicity shrugged. “I mean it’s nice. We both have demanding jobs—”

“That job won’t keep you warm at night,” her mother interrupted.

“Actually, it will. That job pays my electric and gas bills. Plus, it lets me buy blankets.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.”

“I know,” Felicity conceded. “Ed is... safe. Am I planning to settle down behind a white picket fence and have 2.5 kids with him? No, probably not. But he makes me feel good about myself. He tells me I’m beautiful and laughs at my jokes, and that’s what I need right now.”

But does he argue you with you, baby? Does he make you mad enough to spit nails one minute and then hot enough that you want to tear his clothes off the next?”

“Mom!”

“Is there passion?” Donna asked. “Your father… he drove me absolutely crazy. I knew he was the wrong kind of trouble the first time I laid eyes on him. But I loved that man. Do you love Ed?”

The younger woman didn’t have an answer.

“I see.”

Donna planned to say more, but the door opened and the nurse announced herself. “Mrs. Smoak, I’m here to take you on a ride!”

Felicity pulled her chair back and watched as the woman worked efficiently to disconnect the IV from the machine it was hooked up to. They chatted amicably and the woman explained what was going to happen while she was gone (she was being taken to a separate exam room for Dr. Wong). Both Felicity and the nurse helped Donna sit up and then transferred her to a wheelchair. Donna reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Don’t settle, Lissy. You’re worth more than _nice_.”

“I won’t, Mom,” she promised.

Once the room was cleared, Felicity dug out her tablet. She opened the tabs from the previous night and continued her research.

————

“Hey.” Oliver watched as Felicity jerked her head up and tried to hide his smile. “Sorry, I thought you heard me. You were really into that.” He walked around her and placed a large bouquet of mixed flowers on the nightstand. “How is she?”

“Good.” Felicity eyed the flowers. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“It was no big deal. My assistant does an order for the executive offices every week. I just asked her to add an extra in there. I thought Donna might like something other than the hospital smell in here.”

“She will.” Her eyes lingered on her mother, tracing the lines on her face. “I’m sorry she’s asleep, but some of the meds really take it out of her. She enjoyed speaking to Digg this morning, and Thea and Roy came by last night. I bet she would have loved to talk to you.”

“Thea brought Roy?”

Felicity laughed at the tone in his voice. “Not a fan?”

“The kid has a record and lives in the Glades. Not really who I want hanging around my 18 year old sister. Plus, he’s a bar-back at Tommy’s club.”

“So you’re saying he has no future?”

“Not exactly,” he grumbled. “He’s taking classes at Star City Community College, so I can’t fault him there.” Oliver glanced at his watch. “We should go if we’re going to make it to lunch on time.”

She stood and slipped her tablet into her purse. Felicity leaned over and pressed a kiss to her mother’s forehead and whispered a few words. She took the time to straighten the duvet over her and then nodded. “Okay, I’m ready. And before I forget, in case this thing goes long, I need to be back by 3 to meet with Dr. Montgomery and Dr. Wong.”

He stood back and let her go in front of him. “I should probably mention that Thea met Roy because he stole her purse. And she asked Laurel to help her track him down because it was _vintage Chanel_ and she wanted it back.”

“That sounds like Thea.” Felicity snorted. “You said he lives in the Glades?”

“Yep.” They both walked into the elevator and he pushed the button for underground parking. “Mom and Walter were very… not as upset as they should have been. I didn’t handle it well. Thea refused to speak to me for two weeks afterwards.”

“What did you do?”

“Digg and I may have insinuated that we were connected to the Russian Mob and that Thea was protected…” He flashed her a quick smile. The elevator doors open and he walked her to a white BMW M3 Coupe. “This is us.”

“This is your car?” She climbed into the passenger side. “After riding around in the Bentley for the last few days, this is not at all what I expected.”

“Ha, no. This was Thea’s starter car.” He even used finger quotes. “Tommy and I take turns driving it so that nothing is damaged from sitting too long. I believe your mother also drove this car for errands, too.”

Felicity took note of the leather seats and dash, start/stop button, and what she suspected was a car that was fully loaded with amenities. “I’m sure she did. So, two questions. One, why not just sell it? And two, what do you mean starter car?”

“As Thea got closer to 18, she made it very clear she expected a convertible. Hints were dropped over and over, and she found a way to work it into every conversation. Mom and Walter made a deal with her, and she kept up her end of it. She’s on the college track, on honor roll at school, and they likely won’t have to _donate_ anything at the last minute, like they did with me, in order to insure she graduates. So they upgraded her car from this to a BMW 6 Series Convertible. Cherry Red. We keep this one around because it’s a good car, and we’d never get what we paid for it back.”

“Gotcha.” Felicity ran her hand over the dash. “Well, it’s certainly nicer than that clunker I drove around for the longest time.”

“I remember. Where’d you even find a Pinto at, anyway? Didn’t they stop making them a decade before you were born?”

“Hey!” She wasn’t even offended, because it was true. But she’d loved that car. “I only had it for a few months before I left for Boston, and it served it’s purpose.”

Oliver pulled up in front of a restaurant. “We’re here. So what do you drive back in Gotham?”

“You’re going to hate it,” she teased. “A MINI Cooper Convertible. Cherry Red.”

“Ugh,” he groaned. “You and Thea! Just alike!” He opened his door and walked around to hers. “C’mon, let's go.”

They were still laughing when they walked into the restaurant, Oliver’s hand pressed to the small of her back. The hostess straightened when she saw him. “Mr. Queen. The rest of your party has already arrived.”

He shifted closer to Felicity. “Are they in the private room?”

“Yes, sir. I can show—”

“I know the way,” he cut her off. Oliver pressed his hand to Felicity’s back and they began to walk.

“She was certainly taken with you.” She looked up in time to see him roll his eyes. Felicity stifled a snort of laughter.

The rest of their party was exactly who she expected, all seated around a large round table. There were two seats left empty, side-by-side. Oliver held out her chair for her and then slid into the one next to it. There was already water for them to drink and a menu waiting. She greeted everyone and then picked up the menu, already too nervous to eat. Felicity settled on a Greek chicken salad and pita.

After everyone had ordered, she felt all eyes shift to her. She reached for her water and took a large sip. Oliver reached for her hand beneath the table and gave it a squeeze. He immediately went to let hers go, but she tightened her grip. “First,” she started, “I want to thank everyone here for the kindness you’ve shown to my mother and me during this time. I don’t know what we would have done if not for all of you.” She looked around the table and felt emotion well up inside of her. “Over the last three days, each of you have shown me that family is much more than blood.

“Second, Dr. Wong from Central City examined Mom this morning. I’m meeting with him and Dr. Montgomery this afternoon at 3. Mrs. Queen, I would like you to come with me, if you can?” The Queen matriarch nodded. “Great. So it seems we have a lot to discuss. I’ve spent the last few days doing some research, and I’m eager to share that with you all. But time is limited here, so we may have to plan to table some of our discussion for dinner another time. Agreed?”

The entire table nodded in agreement, and then Moira spoke up. “Where would you like to start, Felicity?”

“I got word from Bruce this morning that my leave of absence request was approved. The assistant director who worked under me will be the Interim Head of Cyber Security for now. What that means is that I have very little in the way of income, and after I spoke to Dr. Montgomery this morning, he made it clear that you intend to cover Mom’s medical costs.” Felicity paused, making sure her next words came out correctly. “And while I’m grateful, I want you to know that I may never be able to pay you back.”

“Ms. Smoak,” Walter spoke up, “I think I speak for the entire family when I tell you that we didn’t take on those medical bills in order to be paid back. You’re family, Felicity. This is what family does.”

“I understand, Mr. Steele. And please, call me Felicity. But we’re potentially talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

“We know, Felicity.” He smiled at her kindly. “And can we dispense with this Mr. Steele and Mrs. Queen bit? It’s Walter and Moira. You have Queen Consolidated _and_ Merlyn Global at your disposal, dear.”

Using her free hand, Felicity reached up to wipe away her tears. “Okay. I just want you to be sure.”

“We are,” Moira answered. She locked gazes with Felicity and gave her a kind smile. After the younger woman nodded, Moira continued, “Now that that is settled, we should discuss a nurse. I’ve been in contact with an agency and really feel like three people working 12-hour shifts will be best. I considered having one person living at the manor, and then having an additional person coming in to relieve them for a day or days off, but I wasn’t certain how to make that work with a schedule. Instead, Raisa and I thought that two people working five 12-hour shifts and then a third person covering the two days off. What do you think?”

“So that’s two nurses working 60-hour weeks and one working a 48-hour week?” Felicity questioned. “That seems like a lot.”

“According to the supervisor I talked with, a 48- to 60-hour work week is standard for most nurses. If you’re ready, I plan to have her send candidates over tomorrow. Since we don’t know when Donna is being released, I want things to be ready. As discussed, she’ll be staying in the green room, which connects through to another bedroom for you. They were originally designed as a husband-wife suite, back when men and women slept separately, but I think it will serve our purposes nicely. I’ve had movers in to take the bed out and move in a hospital bed. The green room also has a balcony so she can go outside of nice days and enjoy the sunshine.”

“That sounds nice.” At that moment, their food arrived, and Felicity remembered she was still holding Oliver’s hand. Her cheeks warmed and she gently loosened her hold. “Thanks,” she whispered to him. “You can have the interviews tomorrow. I’d rather be at the hospital with Mom, if it’s all the same.”

“Of course.”

The conversation lulled as they all began to eat. Over the meal, the topics weren’t so serious. Felicity informed everyone what Thea had done for her mother and how touched Donna had been by the gesture. She also caught everyone up on the research she’d done regarding different radiation therapies and new medications. As she ate, she tried not to feel nervous about the upcoming meeting at the hospital.

Once everyone finished eating, they lingered over coffee. Oliver’s hand had navigated to the back of Felicity’s chair in a casual pose. It wasn’t meant to be an intimate gesture, however Felicity immediately noticed that if she leaned back his fingers would press against the nape of her neck and it would result in goosebumps erupting on her arms. She rubbed her arms and reached for her coffee, moving away from him. When she leaned back again, Oliver had moved his hand.

At 2:40 the lunch adjourned. Walter and Moira offered to take Felicity back to the hospital, since they were going to the same place. She agreed, because it made sense. Unexpectedly, Oliver gave her a one-armed hug and promised to bring Thai home for dinner that night.

“No peanuts,” she told him. “I’m allergic.”

“Italian, then,” he offered. “Everyone likes Italian.”

Felicity grinned. “Probably a better choice.” She leaned in when he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She was left wondering at some of his strange behaviors that afternoon. It was something she would have to think about later.

As she climbed into the backseat of Walter’s Mercedes, the blonde sighed. Her life had changed an incredible amount in the span of just a week. Last Monday she’d spent three hours in a staff meeting, reviewing the software she was supposed to sell to an investor on Friday night. Now she was in Star City, a place she hadn’t been in four years, eating lunch with the Queen’s and Tommy Merlyn. Being chauffeured by them and their drivers, all the while stressing about everything in her life. Some of the changes were great (hello, Oliver Queen and this newfound sense of family) and some of them were terrifying (losing her mother), but overall…

Life happened so fast.

“You ready, Felicity?” She was pulled from her thoughts by Moira. They were already at the hospital. “We’re here.”

 


	4. 4.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity makes some difficult decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to those of you who are reading/commenting. I try to read & reply to each one. There's a bit of Oliver's life in this one. 
> 
> See you next Wednesday.

* * *

**Salt Water - 04**

“So they think she’ll be able to come home by the end of the week?” Oliver questioned.

“Maybe,” Felicity hedged. “Mom is adamant about not trying the radiation, but she did agree to the medication. Any nurse we find will have to learn how to administer that appropriately.”

“Why is she refusing the other treatment?”

She shrugged. “Not sure. I think partly because the first doctor she saw told her it was incurable, and so did Dr. Wong today. Any radiation or chemo would only prolong her life.”

“And she doesn't want that?” Oliver pressed. “That doesn't sound like Donna.”

“She doesn't…” Felicity sighed, “I think she doesn't want to get her hopes up, but also she doesn't want to be a burden. I tried to talk to her today and she wouldn't budge. I'll keep working on her, but I don't know if she's going to give in.”

“Did the doctors say anything else?”

“They encouraged me to hire a lawyer to get all of the end of life details taken care of now. I hadn't even considered it, but I guess it makes sense.”

“I'll call our family lawyers tomorrow and see if they can recommend someone, if you'd like.”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

“So what's the plan for tomorrow?” Oliver stood and began to gather their take-out containers. He topped both of their wine glasses off and carried everything into the kitchen. “More sitting at the hospital?”

“Nurse interviews, actually.”

“Really?” At her nod, Oliver looked impressed. “Mom got those together quick.”

“Raisa did it. I had an email after the meeting with the doctors with five resumes attached.”

“Raisa? My Raisa?”

“Yup.” Felicity was amused at his level of surprise. “Everyone can use a laptop or iPad these days, Oliver.”

He scoffed. “I'm barely functional when it comes to my cell phone. I think the IT department has assigned me my own personal nerd.”

“Ha.” She couldn't help the smile on her face. “Why did you ask?”

“If you weren't too busy, I was going to ask if you wanted to visit QC, maybe take a look at the Applied Sciences division. See what you're missing out on working for Wayne.”

“Are you trying to woo me away from Bruce?”

Oliver gave her a bright, genuine smile. “Is it working?”

“Hmmm.” She rolled her eyes at him. “I'll take a rain check on the tour, if you don't mind.”

“Sure.” He finished the rest of his wine. “What's your plan for the rest of tonight?”

“Oh, Netflix and chilling—except, you know, the literal meaning of that. Not, what people on the internet mean when they say it.”

“What do they mean when they say it? Wait, when they say what?”

Felicity’s cheeks heated. “Never mind, it's not important. I'm going to watch Netflix and relax. That's my plan.”

“I have it on the TV in here,” he offered. “Unless…”

“Unless?”

“That was your way of saying you were ready for bed without saying it?”

“No, I'm good.” Felicity smiled at him. “What do you like to watch?”

Oliver reached up and scratched the back of his neck. “Honestly, it's been a while. I think the last thing I watch was  _ Daredevil. _ ”

“Season 1 or Season 2?”

“Uh, the Ben Affleck movie?”

She couldn't stop her groan. “Why don't you go open another bottle of wine? I'll find something for us to watch and put some things that you  _ have to  _ watch on your list.”

He couldn't help but smile at the petite blonde, her bottom lip between her teeth, face crinkled in concentration as she scrolled through a program he couldn't remember last using. In that moment, Oliver knew he was in trouble.

————

The next morning, Felicity was regretting the second bottle of wine. She and Oliver started watching  _ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  _ on Netflix, which soon turned into the first  _ Avengers _ movie, because he hadn't seen it. And an in-depth discussion of Tony Stark as a hero or anti-hero.

It'd been a  _ long _ night, but she couldn't remember the last time she'd so much fun. Felicity had passed out on the couch some time after 2 a.m., her head on Oliver’s shoulder. If not for the back-up alarm in her phone she'd likely still be sleeping. 

Instead she was seated along with Moira and Raisa, ready to meet the first of five in-home nurse candidates. They needed three and Felicity had her favorites. Of course, these weren't the only applicants, however they were the ones the nursing supervisor felt were the most qualified.

The sooner this piece was in place, the easier it would be to really begin discussions about bringing Donna home. And it would also allow Felicity to put some space between her and Oliver. Sometimes it was harder and harder to remember that she 1) didn't live here and 2) had a boyfriend where she did live. (And the fact that those came to her in that order spoke volumes.)

The first interviewee was one on her list. Gerry Conway was not originally from Star City, but had moved there for college and stayed. He'd been the top of his nursing cohort and came with four letters of reference from college professors and physicians he worked with previously. In him, Felicity recognized herself. Gerry was an overachiever. She was absolutely sure that the 12-hour shifts he worked with her mother would run smoothly and there would be no reason to worry.

Gerry was also honest. This job was paying a lot more than other opportunities and he brought that up. Student loans were a reality many people had to face (Felicity had negotiated for WE to pay hers off after a year of employment), and a position like this would go a long way on paying down his debt. Gerry also had personal ties to the city now. His boyfriend worked in the mayor’s office. By the end of their hourlong interview, Felicity felt confident in her previous judgment of him. Of course Moira indicated he would be notified in the next day or so, but Felicity couldn't help the nod she gave him as he was leaving.

“I like him.” She put a star beside his name.

“We’ll wait to make final decisions to the end, dear.” But Moira smiled at the younger woman and nodded.

Raisa escorted the next candidate in. Samantha Clayton was fresh out of nursing school and looking for her first job. She'd grown up in Star City, attended Star City Prep (the same school as the Queen children), and Felicity couldn't help but notice how Moira stiffened at her name.

It was clear from then that Samantha would not be a good fit. There was an awkwardness that existed during the interview that hadn't before. Moira was all smiles, but she didn't offer much in the way of encouragement to the interviewee. As Raisa was walking her out, Felicity turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “Wanna tell me what that was about?”

Moira sighed. “Ms. Clayton has a history with Oliver. I'm surprised she would show up here to interview for a position.”

“I see.” Except she didn't. Felicity made a mental note of the name, determined to ask Oliver about it later that night.

By the end of the day, they'd agreed on three people. Gerry, Rory Regan, and McKenna Hall. Rory lived in nearby Havenrock and had gone into nursing to help care for an elderly father. The previous year Rory had had to place his father in a home, where he still volunteered. McKenna was an ex-girlfriend of Oliver’s. They’d dated during Robert’s illness and death, and then broke up when she opted to move to Coast City for college. She was back now and Moira had encouraged her to make an effort to catch up with him.

Felicity didn't know how she felt about that. Despite it all, McKenna was qualified for the job and Felicity felt she would do excellent work with her mother. Now, if McKenna worked the night shift...that couldn't be helped.

The next morning (after another late night of Netflix), Felicity was up early to go to the hospital. Oliver was in the kitchen, drinking coffee instead of his usual green smoothie. “Hospital again?”

“Yup,” she answered. “What's up for you today?”

“Quarterly investors meeting.” He held up his coffee. “One of the few times I partake.”

“I've noticed you're not big on the juice of life.”

“Not really.” Oliver rounded the bar and picked up a keychain along the way. “Since I'm at this meeting all day, I need to have John with me. I want you to take the M3 from the other day. It’s in the garage downstairs. In fact, you can just keep the keys and drive it until you head back to Gotham.”

“Oliver, I can't—”

“You can,” he encouraged. Oliver folded the keys into her palm. “I'm not  _ giving  _ you the car. Someone has to drive it, might as well be you.”

“That car is worth two of my MINIs.”

“Felicity.”

“Oliver.”

“Look,” he tried to reason, “I've already told you it was Thea’s practice car. There is nothing you can do to it that she didn't already. You have to have something to drive while you're here, unless you're planning to borrow John the entire time… And honestly, I'd like my driver back.”

She colored at his last statement. “I'm sorry, I didn't even realize—”

“Stop,” he cut her off. “You haven't done anything. I offered. Now take the car.”

Oliver turned to walk back into the kitchen, an attempt to hide the smile on his face.

“Yeah, well I met two of your ex-girlfriends yesterday!”

Oh. My. Google.

There was no reason to hide it now. “Oh really? Do tell.”

What had she done? “We’re going to offer one of the nursing positions to McKenna Hall.”

He nodded. “I'd heard she was back in town. Haven’t seen her yet, though.” Oliver smiled again. “Who was the other one?”

“Samantha Clayton?”

His face went dark. “Samantha wasn't exactly a girlfriend, but I do have a history with her.”

“Oh.” Felicity broke eye contact. “Sorry I brought her up.”

“Hey, hey. You didn't know.” Oliver took his coffee cup to the couch. “I guess it was right around the time you moved to Boston for MIT? Laurel and I had split again, and I hooked up with Sam. You know what kind of guy I was back then, so I split in the middle of the night. About 10 weeks later she tracks me down and claims she’s pregnant.” He ignored her gasp. “I didn't know if it was mine or not. I didn't know anything about her and we both went into it knowing what was going to happen. So Mom offers to support her, medical care, etc. I mean, I might have been a fuck up, but this was her first grandkid… then suddenly a month later Samantha is gone. No one can get in touch with her, no one knows where she is. When she shows back up about two months later, she is clearly not pregnant.”

“Oliver.” Felicity moved to the seat beside him. “I had no idea.”

He shrugged. “Who knows if it was even real? I can't believe she showed up at the manor looking for a job, though. Was my mom okay?”

“Yeah, she was.”

Oliver drained the rest of his coffee in one gulp. “I should get ready. Can't be late today.” He looked over at her. “I'll call you later so we can figure out dinner tonight.”

————

Felicity pulled into the underground garage at the hospital and cut the engine on the BMW. She picked up her phone and thumbed through her contacts until she got to the letter ‘E.’

He was the only one listed.

“Just rip off the band-aid,” she told herself.

It was past time that she did this. Taking a deep breath, she pressed his name.

Ed picked up after the second ring. “Hey, baby.”

“Hi, Ed.”

“What's wrong?” He immediately asked.

“Nothing,” she told him. Felicity looked around. “I'm in the garage at the hospital, if I sound weird.”

“Listen, I've only got a minute, but I got plane tickets for next—”

“Stop,” Felicity interrupted. “I talked to Mom’s doctors earlier this week. I'm going to be here for probably six months.”

“Six months?!”

“She has a brain tumor,” she whispered. It wasn't the first time she'd said it out loud, but it was the first time it really felt real. “My mother has an inoperable brain tumor.”

“Oh.”

“She's dying.”

“Felicity—”

“So I think it would really be best if you just forget about me, honestly. Move on with your life. After this is over, when I come back to Gotham, IF I come back to Gotham… we’ll see where the other person is at.”

“This isn't what I want,” Ed protested.

She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. “This is the way it has to be.”

The blonde hit the END button.

Next, she went into her email application and typed ‘Lucius Fox’ in the To: bar.

_ Dear Mr. Fox, _

_ I regret to inform you that I need to resign my position at Wayne Enterprises effective immediately due to a family matter in Star City. I do not anticipate that I will be returning to Gotham in the near future and understand that WE is a company that must be able to compete in the 21st century. _

_ It has been the honor of my professional life to work with you and Mr. Wayne. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Felicity Smoak _

_ cc: Bruce Wayne _


	5. 5.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity begins to let others carry some of the load.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post tonight instead of tomorrow, as things as super unpredictable for me right now. I'm *hoping* I'll have a new chapter next week -- but it will more likely be two. Thanks to everyone who has left an encouraging word/comment. I've read them all, and I've tried to respond. 
> 
> And lastly, if there's an issue it's on me. I wanted to post so Missy didn't get to it. :)

* * *

Felicity was at the edge of all reason. She’d yet to receive any acknowledgement for the letter of resignation she’d sent three days ago. Even if it was a polite  _ thank you for your service, Ms. Smoak, _  she’d expected  **something** from Lucius or Bruce. Adding to that, there was an issue with her mother… something the doctor’s had yet to disclose. Suddenly the conversation had shifted away from  _ when _ she’d be coming home to  _ if. _

And none of that was mentioning Ed. Who had called her eight times in three days. A break-up was a break-up because something was broken.  _ She _ was broken, didn’t he see that? Besides, it was never a… forever kind of thing. For her, at least. But maybe she’d never effectively communicated that to him?

The only part of her life that was working was life with Oliver. Which scared the shit out of her. They had a routine and starting-slash-ending her day with him every day allowed her to push through. As much as she wanted her Mom out of the hospital, Felicity knew she’d miss spending time with him on a regular basis. As odd as it’d been when she’d initially moved in with him, she found herself dreading the eventual move to Queen Manor.

Felicity was only willing to admit that to herself. She was embarrassed by the little crush she’d developed on Oliver since arriving in Star City. Much like the crush she’d had on Tommy when they were kids, Oliver was seemingly oblivious. And why wouldn’t she have a crush on him? He was essentially taking care of her. As much as she’d let him, anyway. Felicity’d never had a live-in boyfriend, but she imagined Oliver would be very good at being one. Since that first morning when she mentioned she needed coffee to survive, he had a pot waiting for her every day. The last two mornings he’d made her breakfast, even though she knew his usual breakfast was that gross-looking kale drink.

There was the car, which allowed her to go anywhere she wanted once she was ready. As much as she’d appreciated John, it was nice not having to avail herself to someone else’s schedule.

She squeezed her eyes closed and exhaled loudly. She could go over this and over this, but it wouldn’t change anything. He was still Oliver Queen, heir of Robert and Moira. Since Oliver was five or so, the expectations of how his life should go had been pressed upon him. While he’d bucked them for about ten years, Felicity knew he was now living up to those expectations. And nowhere in that life plan was there room for the daughter of the maid. If she’d learned anything, it was that life wasn’t a fairy tale. Just because Oliver looked like Prince Charming and had a billion dollars in his bank account, didn’t mean he was going to ride in on his white horse and rescue her.

With that thought, Felicity made herself get out of bed. It was after 7, and she’d lingered long enough. In the bathroom, she splashed some water on her face and rinsed her mouth out. “Coffee,” she whispered. “Everything will be better after coffee.” She grabbed the robe off the back of the door and marched toward the living area. Even she didn’t believe her lies anymore.

Unlike most other mornings, Oliver was in his pajamas too. Felicity glanced at the clock and confirmed the time. Yep, still after 7. “You oversleep?”

He gave her a lopsided smile. “Good morning.” Oliver busied himself by making her a cup of coffee. “I meant to tell you last night, but Walter asked if I could bring you by QC this morning.”

“What?” She glanced down at herself. “What for?”

He passed her the coffee. “I promised to not ruin the surprise.” Oliver poured himself a cup of coffee and pointed to the balcony doors. “With the rain, I thought I’d take a morning off. John and I will use the QC gym later.”

“That’s good,” she murmured. “I know you like a good workout.”

Oh Google. She couldn’t help herself.

His smile widened at her innuendo. “I do.” Oliver started making them breakfast, opting for a simple oatmeal with fruit and Canadian bacon.

“Why’s it called Canadian bacon?” Felicity wondered aloud. She poked the pork product in question with her fork. “It’s  _ ham, _  Oliver. This is America, we should call it ham.”

“You’re still put out that I didn’t give in and make you bacon.”

He was correct, but she didn’t tell him that. Instead she offered, “Bacon, ham, it’s all pork. What’s the difference? Mom will still have a conniption and I’ll still the lapsed Jew eating pig by-products at Yom Kippur.”

“So, what I’m hearing is I should pick up some turkey bacon?”

Felicity tossed a blueberry at him. “Don’t you dare!”

“It’s good to see you smile.” Oliver studied her face. “You haven’t done that a lot in the last few days.”

“There hasn’t been a lot to smile about.” She shifted under his gaze. Why did it feel like he could see right through her. “But you do seem to have a way to make things better.”

“I’m glad.” He considered his next words carefully. “I know you’ve got a lot on you right now, Felicity. But if you ever need to tell someone about your day, you can tell me.”

Her eyes closed and she felt some of the tension leave her body. Despite  _ knowing _ he would listen, it felt good to  _ hear  _ he would listen. “Thanks.”

“So what’s up?” Oliver was careful to not press. He’d sat quietly by for three days, watching as she fell apart a little more. When Walter called last night and told him about his phone call with Bruce Wayne, Oliver knew he couldn’t sit by any longer. He was going to have to reach out and if she pushed him away, then he’d accept that. If not, then he would do everything he could to support her. “You can give me broad strokes, or tell me whatever details you want.”

“My mom is not doing well,” Felicity confessed. It was the first time she’d said it outloud. “She started backsliding a few days ago, and now it seems they’re constantly doing MRIs or other scans. But no one is telling me  _ anything _ , especially not Mom. And I’m trying to trust them, but then I remember that Mom knew about this for months without telling me. I knew she was having migraines, and I hope that’s all this is and they’re just being cautious. But I need them to  _ talk to me _ about what changed. Your mom hired three nurses who are waiting to start and Moira is already paying them and I just—”

“Breathe,” Oliver instructed. He stood and made them both fresh coffees, giving Felicity a moment to compose herself. When he returned to the table, her eyes were wet and she was picking at her nails. He took the seat closest to her, and sat the coffee in front of her. “Have you talked to Donna about this?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

She exhaled loudly. “I’m… I’m not her mother, Oliver. I’ve already lectured her about keeping secrets once. And really, she has so much going on. I’m here to support her, not mother her.”

“I see.” Oliver tentatively covered her hand with his. “So how can I help?”

“Oliver, you’re going above and beyond. You’ve opened up your  _ home _ to me, even though I know I was never your favorite person, and really I can get out of here if you’re ready for me to go. I know this setback with Mom means I’m not leaving as soon as planned. But Moira would probably let me—”

“Hey,” he interrupted. “That’s not what I’m saying at all.” His hand further wrapped around hers. “I’m not even thinking about you leaving. I’m worried about  _ you, _  Felicity. You clearly haven’t been yourself the last few days, and I’m trying to help. That’s all I meant.”

“Oh.” She was going to say more when she heard her cell phone go off from her bedroom. “Hold that thought.” Felicity only went to get her phone because of her mother. Once she picked it up, she saw that it was Ed. Again. It wasn’t even 5 a.m. in Gotham. She immediately sent him to voicemail and took the phone with her into the kitchen.

Oliver had moved back to his original seat. “Everything okay?”

“On top of the stuff with Mom, I broke up with Ed a few days ago. He’s not taking it well.”

“He’s bothering you?”

Felicity shrugged. “Just phone calls. Nothing I can’t handle.”

“You want me to talk to him?”

“And say what?” she asked. “I told him the truth, and he’s just…” Felicity sighed. “Clearly things were more serious for him than they were for me. I guess that’s my fault, too. I’m not going to be back in Gotham for probably six months, and with things as they are, I just don’t think it’s a good time for me to be in a relationship. Especially when I’m not all in to begin with.”

“All in?” he repeated.

“You know, putting all my eggs in his basket… Ed wasn’t  _ the one, _  or whatever. It would’ve fizzled out eventually, even if he doesn’t see that now.”

“You’ve really got a lot on your plate, huh?”

Felicity smiled at him. “I guess.”

“You know what you need?”

“What?”

“A spa day,” he concluded. “Some time to relax and be pampered.”

“If only.”

Oliver picked up his cell phone. “Lucky for you, I know just who to call. Why don’t you go get ready for your day at QC and I’ll arrange everything.”

“Oliver—”

“Let me do this, please.” He smiled at her warmly. “Walter made it seem like he would need you through lunch time, so I’ll arrange for John to pick you up from QC after lunch. He’ll drop you off at the hospital after you’re finished, and you can visit with Donna.”

“Do I even get a choice?”

“Just say yes.”

“You’re not going to let me say no.”

“Nope,” he said, popping his ‘p’. “And hey, if you’re up to it, we can meet Laurel and Tommy for dinner tonight.”

Felicity reached for her coffee cup and drained the remaining liquid. Once it was empty, she pushed her chair back and stood. “You can’t always get your way.”

“Just like 98 percent of the time.”

She shook her head, but smiled. “I’m going to shower.” Felicity glanced down at their dirty breakfast plates. “I expect  _ real _ bacon tomorrow.”

____

John dropped them off at the front entrance of Queen Consolidated and promised to be back to retrieve her for lunch. He and Oliver exchanged a look, but she felt it better to not ask. Besides, she was too busy rethinking her outfit. When she’d packed in Gotham she hadn’t exactly planned on visiting the multibillion dollar business at all. The best she’d been able to come up with on short notice was dark jeans and a peplum top, paired with her favorite heels. Oliver pressed his hand to her lower back. “You look fine,” he promised. “Stop fidgeting.”

As soon as security opened the door for them, Felicity felt every eye on them. Oliver looked divine in his $3,000 Armani suit and she understood why they were staring at him. But she was an unknown. “Oliver, they’re staring.”

“Of course they are. Hold your head up.” He used his hand to guide her to the security desk and spoke to the guard there. “This is Felicity Smoak. Mr. Steele should be expecting her.”

“Of course, Mr. Queen.” The guard shifted his gaze to Felicity. “Identification, please?”

“Sure.” Felicity retrieved her wallet and license for the man. He quickly scanned it into the system and returned it to her. The guard directed her to a small camera and after an awkward smile, she was given a plastic guest pass with her picture and name. “Thanks.”

“I’ll take care of showing her to Mr. Steele’s office, if you don’t mind.”

“Thank you, Mr. Queen.”

Oliver led her to the executive elevators, and once inside he pressed the button for the 45th floor. “So, I’m not staying. I’m actually going to be off-site for most of the morning.”

“What? Why?”

He glanced down at her. “Just a few things I need to take care of, is all. But, John is going to pick you up from the Troubadour at 1:30 today and drive you to Salish, which is Thea’s favorite day spa. Your appointment is from 2:00 until 5:00, and then John will drive you to see your mother. At six, John will take you back to the apartment. We’re meeting Tommy and Laurel at 8:00 at Table Salt.”

“Only an hour at the hospital?” she asks. “But—”

“Hey,” Oliver stops her. “Mom and Thea are going to hang out with her. She’s not going to be alone. You need to take care of  _ you _ today. Felicity, you can’t keep running yourself ragged, and we both know Donna would agree with me. Just take one day.”

Her mouth snapped shut. Felicity knew he was right and she hated it. “One day,” she agreed.

“Thank you.” The elevator arrived at the executive floor. Oliver smiled at Walter’s executive assistance. “Good morning, Janine. This is Ms. Smoak. Has the third guest arrived yet?”  

“Yes, Mr. Queen. About half an hour ago.” The older woman smiled at Felicity. “Good morning, Ms. Smoak. Would you like some coffee?”

Felicity was confused by their discussion about a third guest. She tried to look around Oliver, but Walter’s office windows were frosted glass. “Coffee, sure. Black with two Splendas, Mrs…?”

“Call me Janine, my dear. I’ve been at this company since the late Mr. Queen’s father promoted him up to a vice president position.”

The blonde smiled warmly at her. “Thank you, Janine.”

“Ms. Smoak and I will be in Walter’s office,” Oliver told her. “I’ll have a bottle of water, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, Mr. Queen.” The older woman stood and patted his cheek. “They’ve been expecting you. Go ahead inside. I’ll be back with your refreshments.”

Oliver took Felicity’s hand and lead her to the office door. He knocked twice and then pushed inside. She knew there was someone in there with Walter, but the last person she was expecting was Bruce Wayne.

Her friend and former boss was seated on the leather sofa across from Walter and smiled as soon as he saw her. “Good morning, Felicity.”

She dropped Oliver’s hand and rushed to Bruce. Her arms went around his waist and his wrapped around hers. “Friend!” she gasped. Felicity buried her face in his chest and inhaled deeply. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to discuss with Mr. Steele this ridiculous email you sent to Lucius.”

“Oh.” Felicity shook her head back and forth, not caring about anyone else. As each second passed by she felt her worries fall away. Eventually Bruce loosened his hold and led her to the sofa. She turned to look at Oliver and patted the empty seat. “Oliver, have a seat.”

Instead, Oliver took the second empty chair next to Walter. He held his hand out to Bruce. “I’m Oliver Queen.”

“Bruce Wayne,” the other man returned. “We’ve actually met.”

Oliver pursed his lips. “Really?”

“I was attending an alumni event at Princeton and I think you were visiting a girlfriend for the weekend. You were young, of course, probably 22 or 23. Not long before your father... “

“Say no more,” Oliver responded. “And please don’t hold it against me.”

“Of course,” Bruce murmured. His gaze shifted to Felicity. “So, I flew all this way to talk to you about this ridiculous idea that you need to resign from WE.”

“Bruce—”

“Felicity,” he interrupted. “You said you needed six months. I got you six months. We’ll revisit afterwards. I don’t think you should make any decisions, especially not major decisions, right now.”

“I agree,” Walter chimed in. He looked to his stepson. “Oliver?”

“You need to do what’s best for you.” Oliver’s blue eyes softened as he took in the blonde. “But don’t make this decision because you feel overwhelmed.” He felt his cell phone vibrate against his thigh. “I have another appointment, and need to go. If you’ll excuse me.”

Felicity stood and met him at the door. “I can’t thank you enough, Oliver,” her voice was a whisper.

“No thanks necessary.” Oliver pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll see you at six, okay?” At her nod, he slipped out of the door.

Once Felicity returned to her seat, she looked at Bruce. “So what are you doing here?”

“Mr. Wayne and I have had some discussions, Felicity. We’ve determined, if it’s acceptable to you, that Wayne Enterprises will lend you to Queen Consolidated for the next six months. Because you took a leave of absence from WE, you will only be able to do contract work here, but it will allow QC to put you on salary.”

“But my mother—”

“You’ll be able to work remotely, of course, “ Walter assured her. “I’ve assigned you to the Research division in Applied Sciences, which means you’ll only be needed in-office a few hours a week, and given that there are full time nurses working with your mother, I imagine that will work out well. I’m not offering you a position as an IT girl, Felicity.”

“At the end of the six months,” Bruce cut in, “we can reevaluate. Determine if you’ll need another leave of absence from WE, or if you want to submit your resignation. If you do, only then will I accept it.”

“Okay,” Felicity agreed.

He leaned down and withdrew a sleeve of documents from his briefcase. “I had my lawyer draw this up before I left Gotham. I assume you’ll want someone here to look them over. Also, Curtis Holt and his husband recently put their townhouse up for sale and asked if you would be interested in subletting your condo while you’re out here. They understand it could be as little as six months, but their house sold in three days, which was much quicker than they thought, and they’re at a long-term hotel right now.”

“Of course! I’ll see if I can’t get a flight out this weekend and get my stuff together.”

“I can have someone do it for you,” Bruce offered.

She shook her head. “No, no. I don’t want strangers going through my stuff.”

“Okay.” He passed the documents over to Walter. “Do you want to call the company lawyers up to look at these?”

As the two men talked, Felicity exhaled. For the first time since she arrived in Star City, she exhaled slowly. Finally something was going right. She took out her phone and typed out a text message.

**Felicity, 9:47:** Oliver, I can’t thank you enough. THANK YOU. MWAH!

____

Oliver slid into the backseat, his mood a little bit worse than when he’d left John almost an hour earlier. He couldn’t get the image of Felicity wrapped around Bruce Wayne, her nose buried in his chest, out of his mind.

“Where to?” John asked.

“The hospital,” Oliver answered. “I wanted to stop by and see Donna.”

“Oliver, man…”

The younger man dragged his hand over his face. “What?”

“What are you doing?” Diggle pulled out into traffic and started to maneuver the Bentley towards Star City General. “Does Felicity know what you’re up to?”

“What I’m up to? What do you think I’m up to?”

“I think this girl has you all spun up and you don’t know what to do about it. But I also think you need to stop and think about what this looks like,” the driver offered. “Felicity has a  _ boyfriend.  _ She’s leaving when this is all over.”

“She broke up with Ed,” Oliver responded automatically. He caught Diggle’s eye in the rearview mirror. “She told me this morning.” He motioned to a Jitters down the street from the hospital. “Stop here, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.”

Once the two men were seated inside, both with black coffees, Oliver considered his words carefully. “She resigned from her job. Or tried to, at least. The meeting at QC was with Bruce Wayne. She was… very happy to see him.” He took a long swallow from his coffee. “I don’t know what I’m up to, honestly. I don’t know what I’m doing.

“I watched her grow up, Dig. I’ve known Felicity since she was seven. I knew of her before that. When she and Donna came to live in our carriage house, I felt sorry for her. I mean, they never had the money we had, but they were definitely comfortable. And suddenly her dad splits and her mom is cleaning my toilet. I couldn’t even look her in the eye.”

“She noticed,” Dig told him. “One of the first times I drove her, Felicity told me that you didn’t  _ see her _ . She noted that when you were younger, you never  _ talked _ to her and that sometimes you just looked right through her.”

Oliver had never considered it that way. “From the time I was sixteen until I was twenty five, I was a total fuck-up. You know that. And before that… it was weird. She was smart. Like, crazy smart. Even before I was a fuck-up, I still wasn’t great. Dad used to bring Felicity up as this great example of someone I should be like, and she was  _ five years younger. _  It wasn’t her fault she was just a grade behind. So when everything went down with her dad, maybe I thought she deserved it…? And now that I’ve gotten to know her, really know her, I can’t help but feel guilty about that.” Oliver looked down at his coffee cup. “Besides, Felicity had her crush on Tommy until she went to MIT. I didn’t even realize she noticed me.”

“That may be true, Oliver. But Felicity doesn’t have a crush on Tommy anymore.” Diggle studied the other man, wondering if he was getting his meaning.

The businessman raised his eyebrows. “You’re not implying…?”

“Implying? Hell no, I’m straight up tell you that girl has feelings for you.”

“No,” he denied Oliver shook his head twice. “She had a boyfriend until days ago. She’s not that kind of girl.”

“That’s funny, she said the same thing.” Diggle finished his coffee. “And she  _ had _ a boyfriend. You said so yourself.”

Oliver waved his friend off. “You’re seeing something that’s not there.” He stood and retrieved his wallet. He dropped a tip on the table. “I just want to visit Donna for a few minutes. Felicity said she was deteriorating, and I just want to check on her. Besides, Felicity agreed to take the afternoon for herself.”

“Hmmm.”

“Something to say, John?”

“Nope.” The man smiled wide at his employer. “I’m just the black driver. What do I know? Sir.”

Later that evening, Oliver drove the both of them to Table Salt in his Range Rover. Tommy and Laurel were already waiting at their table, and again Oliver found his hand pressed to Felicity’s back as he escorted her inside.

After they returned from the hospital, she’d changed into a looser dress and flats. She’d gotten a blow-out, facial, and manicure/pedicure at the day spa, in addition to the massage he’d booked for her. Her skin was glowing and she looked much more content.

The foursome greeted each other with hugs and cheek kisses, before they all took their seats. Tommy and Laurel had both ordered mixed drinks, but he ordered a bottle of Merlot for him and Felicity to share. After their dinner orders were placed, they group started chatting about their lives.

“Hey.” Laurel reached for a piece of bread. “Do you remember the last time we were all here? Tommy and me, plus you and Helena. What an awkward mess that was. Worse double date ever.”

Tommy laughed. “I can’t believe you dated her.”

“This isn’t a date,” Oliver reminded his two oldest friends. “And can we not talk about Helena?”

“Didn’t I hear she just got married?” Felicity asked.

“Yeah,” the other woman said. “I heard that her dad arranged it. I wonder if the guy is connected.”

Her fiancé rolled his eyes at his long time best friend. Tommy held up his hands and mimed two women talking.

“My mom said so, I think,” Felicity offered. “Her words were that they ‘married her off.’” She glanced at Oliver. “You dodged a bullet there.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. Oliver reached for his wine glass. “So what’s the story with you and Bruce Wayne?”

“We’re friends. He’s my boss.” The blonde’s cheeks reddened. “Why?”

“It looked a little more than friendly.” He glanced at Tommy, who was shaking his head. “It’s nothing. Nevermind.”

Felicity narrowed her eyes at him. “You sound—are you  _ jealous? _ ”

“What? No.”

“Ollie,” Laurel cut in, “Bruce Wayne has been in a serious relationship for like 8 years. And his girlfriend is scary.”

“Scary doesn’t cover it,” Felicity told Laurel. “Selina Kyle could be some kind of vigilante or something. She is… _ wow _ .”

“Wow, huh?” Tommy asked. “What’s so wow about her?”

“Have you seen her?” She took out her phone and quickly pulled up a photo of the two of them from a WE fundraiser in Gotham. “That’s us at an event Bruce put on for at-risk youth last year.”

Tommy and Laurel both looked at the picture, and then Tommy passed it over to Oliver. “You both look  _ smoakin’ _ hot.” He gave her a cheesy smile. “Get it?”

“Like I’ve never heard that one before, Merlyn.” She took the phone back from Oliver. “So Bruce and Selina have been together for awhile. Since he took over as CEO from Lucius, at least. She lives in the Manor with him.” Felicity glanced at Oliver. “Did Walter give you the details of what we agreed on today?”

“Hmmm?” His attention had drifted. So she and Bruce weren’t… “No, he didn’t.”

“I accepted a six month contract with QC, which allows me to receive a salary while I’m living here. At the end of the six months, I’ll reconsider my options. Bruce agreed to accept my resignation at that time, if I’m still needed in Star City for an undetermined amount of time. Or we can just extend my leave of absence if I think I might return to Gotham.

“Bruce also indicated that one of the head technicians is interested in subletting my condo while he and his husband look for a house. That means that I need to find a few days to fly out to Gotham and pack my things and ship them here, plus arrange for storage, and I don’t know how I’m going to make that happen. But it needs to happen ASAP, so—” 

Laurel chimed in, “Let Tommy and I do it.”

“Laurel—”

“No, really,” the brunette cut in. She glanced at her fiancé. “We’d love to do what we can to help. Besides, neither of us work on the weekends, so it’s not exactly a hardship for us to take the MGG jet and pack up your condo for you. If you can get us a list of what you’d like us to bring back to you and what we can ship, we’ll take care of everything.”

Felicity reached across the table and placed her hand on top of Laurel’s. “The offer is enough. Are you sure?”

Laurel glanced at Tommy, who nodded. “Yes, Felicity. This is what friends do. What do you say?”

Oliver reached over and pressed his hand to Felicity’s back. “Just say yes.”

“Yes, absolutely. Thank you.” She leaned her head against Oliver’s shoulder briefly, reveling in his warmth and comfort. His hand moved from her back to her waist and then slipped down to her hip. “Thanks, Oliver.”

“Anything for you,” he promised.

She stayed like that, enjoying the company and conversation until their food arrived. When it did, Felicity straightened.

Oliver pulled his hand away, his fingertips dragging across her back. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t ignoring the sparks he felt all over his body. Maybe he wasn’t as immune to the petite blonde as he liked to tell himself.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I'd be lost without Missy looking this over. :)


End file.
